Town · Madeira, Portugal · 32.72°N 17.15°W

Arco da Calheta, Portugal

Arco da Calheta is a town of 3,241 people in Madeira, with a hospital 20.9 km from the centre and Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC) 35 km away.

Updated 1 November 2026 · 10 of 10 core measures available · 16 open datasets · How we calculate this

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Normal for November, 1991-2020

20°high · low 17°C · 14 rain days

Good fit for

  • Beach lovers
    A beach 1.7 km from the centre

Weaker fit for

Nothing stands out as a weaker fit.

Car-free living

25/ 100

Rank 683 of 791 in Portugal

Based on: Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (pharmacy), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station), Distance to nearest (bus station)

Built on 75% of its inputs; the rest are not published for this town.

Access to services

25/ 100

Rank 718 of 801 in Portugal

Based on: Distance to nearest (hospital), Nearest airport with scheduled flights, Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (doctor), Places within a 15-minute walk (school)

How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area

Arco da Calheta compared with Porto

Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.

  • Average January highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Arco da Calheta Regional17°CPorto 13°C
  • Average July highShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Arco da Calheta Regional25°CPorto 26°C
  • Days with rain per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Arco da Calheta Regional105Porto 119
  • Days above 35°C per yearShown for reference: at least one value is not precise enough to call a difference.Arco da Calheta Regional0Porto 1.0
  • 48 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberArco da Calheta 10 h 00 minPorto 9 h 12 min

Housing & costs

Official · INE Portugal, Eurostat
Median rent €5.59/m²Per month, 2024, new leases · Portugal €7.97/m²
Sale price €1,865/m²2026 Q2, median of the last 12 months · Portugal €2,264/m²
Price change, 5 years +82%Since 2021 Q2 · Portugal +86%
Crimes per 1,000 residents 14.6Recorded by the police in 2025 · Portugal 32.0
Price level, Portugal 85EU average = 100 (whole country, 2024)

Arco da Calheta is in the municipality of Calheta (R.A.M.). Rents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns.

Climate today

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020
Average daily high (°C)Average daily low (°C)
Days with rain 1051 mm or more, per year
Tropical nights 109Nights staying above 20°C, 2016-2025
Feels 32°C or hotter 0Days a year when heat and humidity feel like 32°C or more, 2016-2025
Daylight on 21 Dec 10 h 00 min14 h 19 min on 21 Jun
Sea temperature Modelled17 to 23°CMarch to September, open sea nearby
Windy days 16Hourly wind of 30 km/h or more, per year, 2016-2025
Wettest month Dec95 mm on average
Frost days 0Below 0°C, per year, 2016-2025
Days above 35°C 0Per year, 2016-2025
Highest UV index Modelled10June to August, noon on a clear day

Month by month

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020

August is the warmest month (26°C average high) and February the coolest (17°C). December is the wettest (95 mm) and July the driest (8 mm).

  • JanuaryAir 17° · Sea 18°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • FebruaryAir 17° · Sea 17°9 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • MarchAir 18° · Sea 17°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • AprilAir 18° · Sea 17°10 rain daysCrowds: High
  • MayAir 20° · Sea 18°9 rain daysCrowds: High
  • JuneAir 23° · Sea 20°4 rain daysCrowds: High
  • JulyAir 25° · Sea 21°1 rain dayCrowds: Peak
  • AugustAir 26° · Sea 22°3 rain daysCrowds: Peak
  • SeptemberAir 25° · Sea 23°8 rain daysCrowds: High
  • OctoberAir 22° · Sea 22°14 rain daysCrowds: High
  • NovemberAir 20° · Sea 20°14 rain daysCrowds: Medium
  • DecemberAir 18° · Sea 19°12 rain daysCrowds: Medium

Crowd levels are for Madeira as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).

Is it getting hotter?

Regional · ERA5-Land reanalysis

Days above 35°C per year

1991-20000 days
2016-20250 days

Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bar scale runs to 10 days.

Healthcare & getting around

Town-level · straight-line distances

Within 1.2 km of the centre

  • Grocery stores1
  • Pharmacies1
  • Doctors & clinics0

30 min by car

  • Hospitals0
  • Sea beaches14
  • People57,637

60 min by car

  • Towns over 10,0005
  • Hospitals5
  • Sea beaches27
  • People258,336
  • Nearest train stationNone within 60 km
  • Nearest bus stationRibiera Brava9.3 km
  • Nearest hospitalHospital CUF Madeira21 km · 32 min by car
  • Nearest airport with scheduled flightsCristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)35 km · 50 min by car

Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.

Daily life

Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0

Within 1.2 km of the centre

  • 1Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
  • 1PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
  • 2CafésPortugal median: 4
  • 7RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
  • 0BakeriesPortugal median: 2
  • 2Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
  • 1SchoolsPortugal median: 2
  • 0Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1

Nature & surroundings

Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMap
Parks within 1.2 km 0Portugal median: 0
Nearest sea beach 1.7 kmPraia da Calheta
Distance to the coast 0.6 kmStraight line from the town centre
Tree cover within 1.2 km 55%Portugal town median: 29%
Terrain SteepAverage slope 38%; 1,417 m between the lowest and highest land within 5 km
Protected nature 0.9 kmMoledos - Madalena do Mar (Natura 2000)

People & community

Modelled · EU Census 2021 grid
Population 3,241Town figure from GeoNames
Population change since 2013 +1%Municipality of Calheta · Portugal +7% (official estimates)
Age structure
Arco da Calheta
Median town in Portugal

Under 1515 to 6465 and over

International residents

Share of residentsArco da CalhetaMedian town in Portugal
Born in another EU country2.7%1.6%
Born outside the EU15.1%5.5%
Moved here from abroad in the past year2.4%1.1%

17.8% of residents were born abroad, against 7.1% in the median town in Portugal (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (3,390 residents counted).

Environment & natural hazards

  • Earthquakes1 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.3.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
  • Wildfire7 of 10 yearsYears with a fire of 30 ha or more within 10 km of the centre, 2016-2025; 15,894 ha burnt by those fires.Town-level · EFFIS

Places like Arco da Calheta

Common questions about Arco da Calheta

What is the weather like in Arco da Calheta through the year?

January averages a high of 17°C and a low of 15°C; July averages 25°C and 21°C. There are about 105 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

How many very hot days does Arco da Calheta get?

Arco da Calheta had no days above 35°C in 2016-2025, nor in 1991-2000. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

Does it freeze in Arco da Calheta?

Arco da Calheta averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025. These are regional figures for the wider area, not for the town itself.

What is within walking distance of the centre of Arco da Calheta?

Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 1 grocery stores, 1 pharmacies, 0 doctors and clinics and 2 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest bus station is 9.3 km away, the nearest hospital is 21 km away, the nearest beach is 1.7 km away and the nearest coastline is 0.6 km away.

What is the nearest airport to Arco da Calheta?

Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC), 35 km from the centre in a straight line.

How much daylight does Arco da Calheta get in winter?

10 h 00 min on 21 December, against 14 h 19 min on 21 June.

Who is Arco da Calheta a good fit for?

By the published rules: beach lovers (A beach 1.7 km from the centre).

Sources & methodology

Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.

"Who Arco da Calheta suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.

DatasetUsed forVersionLicence
Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation)Elevationglo30_s120Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution)
Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS)Wildfires2016-2025CC BY 4.0
ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store)Sea temperaturemonthly_1991-2020CC BY 4.0
ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store)Climatepoints_1991-2025CC BY 4.0
ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover)Land coverv200_2021CC BY 4.0
EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat)Census gridV3Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy)
Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12)Crowds2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind)Price level2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
GeoNamesPlace names and populations2026-10-31CC BY 4.0
INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population)Rents, house prices, crime and population2026-11-01CC BY 4.0
Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024)Protected areasend2024CC BY 4.0
OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts)Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline2026-10-31ODbL 1.0
OurAirportsAirports2026-10-31Public domain
Overture Maps placesAmenities2026-10-21.0CDLA-Permissive-2.0
TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA)UV indexv2.0_clim_2004-2020Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used
USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat)Earthquakes2026-10-31Public domain